Good Neighbors

Everyone knows the value of real estate on Eastern Long Island—especially as the season starts to simmer.Ospreys—those magnificent birds of prey that were nearly wiped out but have recently been rebounding—are among those seeking a roost here when each winter ends, building nests in lofty spots from Napeague to Dune Road in western Southampton Town, where they lay eggs and take care of their chicks. Unfortunately, the sites they choose are often at the top of utility poles, where the birds could be electrocuted and, a lesser concern, interrupt the flow of electricity to human neighbors.

Thankfully, many of those neighbors are good ones who work to make it possible for the birds to settle in safely each spring. PSEG Long Island and the Group for the East End have been collaborating to create new platforms near the old nesting sites in places from Westhampton to Water Mill to Montauk—and with apparent success, as the returning birds have been spotted building new nests on the platforms only days after their completion.

Granted, it’s a tiny boost in a grim context of the possible extinction of 1 million species worldwide due to climate change and other factors, according to a recent United Nations biodiversity report. Even so, it’s encouraging to see a company like PSEG exhibiting such sensitively to these part-time community members in which so many of us take such great pride.